Reviews

Walking into Frank Jalsovsky’s studio might be a surprise, as it is not like most other artists studios. It is perhaps more like a jeweller’s, or a watchmakers shop with its rows of highly organized engraving and cutting tools, diamond scribes and other esoteric devices and materials. It is definitely not what one might expect from an ordinary artist’s working space but then Frank’s working method is not that of an ordinary artist. Since his intensive training in Bratislava, Slovakia, with its emphasis on drawing and composition, he has developed an overall process that is highly individual and yet strikes a universal chord. He excels in the classic techniques of drypoint, aquatint and etching and uses them in an amazingly, tenacious, focused and intense manner. This approach seems to suit well his personal iconography. However, his further search for greater depth and meaning of image lead him to resurrect the 17th century procedure of Mezzotint, a rarely practiced and very labour intensive method of producing tremendously rich and wide tonal subtleties. Combining this with his already mastered and refined skills of drypoint and aquatint, Frank produces a result that is so richly structured and spatially complex that he is able to communicate his equally complex philosophical ideas with works that rival the scope of the masters.

The artistic impression from viewing your show, Frank, was unexpected, overwhelming and intimate at the same time. I was struck by the level of your creative expression, which deeply touched my inner feelings, consciousness, sensitivity. The convincing statement, brilliant technique and method of expression are without a doubt at the highest international level. As an Ambassador of the Slovak Republic in Canada, I am very proud that behind this great accomplishment is an artist of Slovak origin.

“From somewhere out of the depths of our history, memory and collective human experience come the images of Frank Jalsovsky, images which speak of the commonality of human origin, and of our universal destination. These works resonate with the powerful message of the interconnectedness of all forms of existence, linking lessons of past, present and future into a compelling amalgam of ultimate spiritual discovery.”

“Frank is a rare bird on the Vancouver art horizon. Superbly trained in the best European traditions of intaglio printmaking (etching, aquatint, mezzotint) at the Bratislava University of Fine Arts, and gifted with a sure hand and vigorous temperament, Frank is bound to leave his mark on the North American art scene.”

Irina Florov Fine Artist Vancouver, BC, Canada

“He is kind of “Spiritual Crusader” of the nineties, seeking meaning and order in our ever chaotic, noisy and materialistic existence on this planet. The expression of ‘the spiritual’ is clearly evident in his works, whether they are sparse, or moody and contemplative. His later works are symphonic in their scale of content, undertaking, and execution and lead one to believe that they are truly cosmological.”

Vincent Sheridan Fine Artist Doublin, Ireland

“The artwork of Frank Jalsovsky conveys a profoundly humane message; that is why his artwork is very valuable and why it touches us so deeply.”

“Jalsovsky’s art can be described as remarkable for its originality and the means in which it is expressed. In all his work, you can feel the efforts to render human feelings and man’s timeless struggle with nature and himself, and to express the longing to surpass the frontier of human possibility.”

The Tri-City News Wednesday, June 30, 1993 Vancouver, BC, Canada

“Jalsovsky’s work expresses the feeling that life is rejuvenating. It’s inviting and optimistic. He isn’t in any way dwelling on bad things. There’s always a step forward in Frank’s work. It has a feeling of the future.”

“As I viewed Jalsovsky’s images, I felt as if I was sitting on lonely beach at sunset. No intrusions or worries present. An atmosphere of calmness and quiet surrounded me, cocooning and soothing me. The warm earth tones used in these images relate closely to the natural environment of British Columbia, evoking a sense of shared intimacy with the land.”

"In Frank’s artwork we can see several different themes. Ranging from prehistory – Venuses, animals, hunters from Altamira, through old ancient era of civilization, renaissance to our restless age. This includes relationship with modern civilization as well as old-new fear of Apocalypse, eternal worry about chaos, longing for internal order within us human, beggars and prophets of new era. We can see unknown stars and suns, maybe black holes and unimaginably dark spaces absorbing matter, time, space and light….. many meaningfull stories are unfolding here. Human figures standing on orbits, as if they are waiting for rebirth. Everything flows. Panta rhei. Circles, orbits of planets and galaxies, piroettes on blue color of infinity. Measure without measure. Time in eternity. Infinity in infinity…."

It is said that not many artists have the skill to depict a horse in motion. Jalsovsky's horses are a metamorphosis of life, a wonderful expression of desire for freedom, of untamed power to resist anything that restrains or confines. His horses floating over the countryside are a revolt that is coming right out of the picture with a radiating energy recharging each viewer.

Mgr. Maria Kovalcikova Art Curator Bratislava, Slovakia

"When creating his artwork, Frank Jalsovsky considers himself fully open and free spirited. He is not focused on one area only. His creativity is based on feeling, without any restrictions. In his artwork, he is trying to overcome space and time, strives to capture vibrations of Universe that influence man’s life."

Frank is a master of drawing, which can be clearly seen in his drawings of nudes or galloping horses representing freedom, free line, air. Almost as if the paper was sweating and breathing with them. The artist draws from the essence of nature and to the nature he returns. His statements are meditations of an individual in context of the Universe, in context of infinity. In a gracious elegance of his framed artwork Frank Jalsovsky gives an honest and precise testimony about interconnectedness, about an individual's place in the Universe and within.